---------------------------------- installing and setting up a new db ---------------------------------- You will need sudo on that machine. - install postgres: sudo yum install postgresql sudo yum install postgresql-server postgres tends to install its files under the username postgres. You should therefore create and use this user for the steps below. Specifically you need access to /var/run/postgresql/ - make a directory for posgres data: mkdir -p /usr/local/pgsql/data - Create a database cluster (file structure) initdb -D /usr/local/pgsql/data - Initialise the server (I think I only need to do the second of these things) postmaster -D /usr/local/pgsql/data >logfile 2>&1 & postgres -D /usr/local/pgsql/data & - create database: createdb - To restart the server (after shutting down for example) su - postgres pg_ctl start -D /usr/local/pgsql/data ----------------------------------- Configuring The config files will be inside the database cluster directory you created above (so /usr/local/pgsql/data/ in the example). There are two main config files, both in the above dir. pg_hba.conf (the client authentication configuration file) postgresql.conf (all sorts of things) You need to explicity allow for external hosts to connect to the database: pg_hba.conf: # IPv4 local connections: host all all 192.171.161.1/24 trust postgresql.conf listen_addresses = '*' pg_ctl is a utility for monitoring and controlling a posgreSQL server Check server status: pg_ctl status -D /usr/local/pgsql/data pg_ctl: server is running (PID: 29763)